Follow by Email

Friday, February 28, 2014

After three weeks, the cravings have FINALLY gone away! I'm not going to lie--this was rough. It wasn't until yesterday that I didn't have a craving for it. Every other day I woke up and thought about having a diet coke every 10 minutes.

But yesterday and today? Didn't even think about it. And knowing what it does to my body has helped me make up my mind to have pop very rarely from now on...and never again will I drink diet!

I am shocked I made it three weeks but also so proud! I've never stuck with it long enough to see changes. Well, I do now and I will not be going back.

No judgement if you drink it--you can probably moderate yourself, which I cannot! Plus I have those gallbladder issues messing me up.

So I went and got my nails done with the money I would've spent on pop these past three weeks! :)

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

I made it to day 19 of no pop! Bad news is, today I had a pop. Whoops!

In my defense, I am suffering from a gross cold and really wanted to feel those delicious bubbles on my sore throat. So I got a regular coke (in the hopes that HFCS is better than aspartame) and.....it was just okay. Not nearly the bubble rush I was hoping for--I wanted a nice burn on my throat to slough off the layers of mucus. No luck.

Afterwards, I felt like my teeth were very fuzzy and needed a good brushing. I also immediately had some "digestive issues", specifically the one that has plagued me for over six years now. So I think we know what the connection there is!

Bottom line--totally not worth it. At all.

In other news, I finally quit Lifetime Fitness. I feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders! I checked out Anytime Fitness here in Shakopee. I had met two of their employees at the Chamber of Commerce Luncheon I spoke at a few weeks ago. I can go there for $20 a month and I can bring my kids! My kids loathed the kids club at Lifetime--it is not set up for school age kids. But at Anytime, they can bring their ipads, watch tv, run around in the studio and do hula hoops...much better for them and me.

The main reason I was keeping Lifetime was for the pool in the summer (and Norman of course, but he will still be my favorite trainer) but then my pool buddy defected to the Y. But really, the pool is the only thing I will miss. Plus, as she reminded me, we have Valley Fair and her boat to look forward to this summer! :)

Anytime is small, which I like. When I went to Gold's (before it closed), I had great results. And back in college, I went to a little Lifetime that was for women only. I had great results there too. But in six years at a big Lifetime? No change at all. Maybe a small club is just what I need.

Monday, February 17, 2014

I've made it to day 10 of no pop! I don't think I've ever made it this long.

My brother challenged me to give it up until we go on vacation in March. For some stupid reason, I accepted this challenge. :)

I'll be honest--I think about drinking a pop every single day. I wake up in the morning and my first thought is about getting a pop. I don't drink coffee so pop has been my morning drink for at least 15 years.

I have noticed some nice changes since quitting. I feel way less puffy in the morning. My skin seems healthier from drinking so much water. My digestive issues are disappearing.

At this point, I'm planning to just keep going indefinitely. I don't feel that at this point I can have even one sip of soda--I'll go right back to pounding many cans a day.

The real challenge will be on vacation--usually I get a mug that comes with unlimited free refills. The rest of the group will get one--will I be able to resist and just stick to water? At this point, that is the plan!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

I made it through Valentine's Day without getting down on my single status, without consuming a single piece of chocolate, and by only drinking one glass of wine whilst watching the Olympics last night!

When I was married, Valentine's Day would come and go without a word so this year was no different than most. Like most relationships, ours started out very romantic with my ex always doing big romantic things that put other guys to shame. And like most relationships, it all ended the day we got married. :)

I thought I was being cool and low maintenance by not expecting anything on my birthday, our anniversary, Christmas, Valentine's, Mother's Day....Also, I hate giving gifts so I didn't want to have to reciprocate!

But what I now realize is that these stupid days like Valentine's Day do serve a purpose! You take the time to make a special effort to make your love feel special. It might feel forced and you might not feel particularly in love at that moment but the point is to remind each other of WHY you are together and WHY you stay together. When things get hard, you need this reminder!

So although I don't want a diamond if I ever getting married again, I will ask that my future partner buys me cards and acknowledges special days and treats me like a treasure that he is blessed to have found. I commit to doing the same for him!

One thing I have learned during the last two years is that I was far too accommodating in my marriage, and in basically all romantic relationships I have ever had. I expected nothing (didn't want to inconvenience anyone) and in doing so, I ensured that I got nothing!

Alas, I have not yet figured out how to be the strong me that is emerging and be in a relationship at the same time. I know that if I really wanted to be in a couple, I could be. There was the guy last summer that told me after one date that he was falling in love with me. I could've decided that was good enough for me (instead of freaking out and telling him he was crazy--he really was, no regrets there). Or the guy this fall that seemed to like me but really only liked a well-behaved, sanitized version of me. I tried for a while but just couldn't be okay with acting like such a normal person.

No, singleness is the best place for me right now. I still have so much growing to do and so much work left to do on me. I would rather be alone than be in a lonely relationship!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

It's been almost three months since I decided to stop dating. I have to say, it has been a simple thing which has surprised me a bit.

It was a little lonely and strange at the beginning. But now I hardly think about it! Funny that something that consumed my mind for all that time can be easily shoved out.

Some people have been supportive of my choice; others have questioned me. Most of my guy friends think I am completely nuts--that's fair. :) A few friends have questioned whether I'm putting God in a box, as far as what I believe He can do in my life.

I can see where that would come from but for me (and only me), this choice was actually a way for me to put trust in God. I had been trying to manipulate life and make things happen according to my will and timeline. I kinda just told God to step back and let me handle this. My track record for love isn't so great so perhaps not a wise choice!

For me, this choice has been an excellent exercise in trusting God's timing. I have given over complete control to God in this area, which has been the hardest area for me to give up control in. And I've learned quite a bit about myself in the process.

At this point in life, I feel like being single is exactly where I am supposed to be. I have trust issues to deal with from my marriage and those don't just go away because you meet a nice guy. Best to work on those now. My kids beg me not to get married again--clearly, they are not ready for me to date. And frankly, I am greatly enjoying my freedom and independence and really do not feel much of a void in my life at this point.

Do I want to be alone forever? Of course not! Who truly desires that? My guess is very few people. But I would rather be alone than be unhappy. Of that I am completely sure.

So for now I am challenging myself to sit back and trust that God has a plan and that it will be way more awesome than anything I could engineer. It might not involve a man or marriage but that doesn't mean it is wrong. I would not have been able to say that three months ago!